Sleepy Hollow
by Art n' Music
Summary: Danielle describes, "This man had some sort of old military attire and he was riding a white horse. It was too dark for me to see the face." "Did the man carry a broad axe?" "Yes. Do you know him?" "Of course." "When was the last time you saw the man?" Ichabod answers, "When I cut off his head."


**Prologue: Origins**

1781. Time of the American Revolutionary War. The colonists fire at the oncoming army of the British colony in an unnamed battle in a forest area that will later be called Sleepy Hollow. They fire back while the mercenaries, known as Hessians, the British brought worked their way to their enemies. They ride on their horses and run on their feet across the dull grounds while shouting out a war cry and swinging their blades of death, from swords to rifles. When the Hessians and British reach the other end of the battlefield, everyone takes out their swords and do close-combat when needed. Screams of bloodlust and anguish echoes up to the cloudy skies as the mercenaries do their bloody rampage. The dirt is quickly coated with dark red and dead bodies.

One Hessian soldier rampages around on his white horse, swinging around his axe and blade. His bald head gleams from the little light that shows through the sky and his face is masked with a simple dull black mask, only showing his deathly black eyes full of bloodlust. On his right hand that's holding the axe is a tattoo of a bow and arrow. This tall, muscular soldier has been through many wars, unbeatable in each one. His way of attack is quick but atrocious. With one swipe, the heads of his enemies fly off and the bodies collapse like a sack of bricks.

The mercenary laughs with gusto as he swipes at the colonists' necks, rapidly turning thousands into hundreds. Everyone fights for their lives, trying their very hardest to survive another day. On a makeshift wall, a row of colonists aim their guns and fire at the redcoats and accomplices. But nobody can stop the axe-swinging Hessian.

One man slices across the chest of one British and hides behind a bare tree, taking deep breaths as the life-threatened adrenaline makes his heart beat hastily. He wipes some black hair away from his dark green eyes, looking around to make sure nobody comes to kill him. Ichabod Crane hurries reloading his pistol and looks around the trunk to spot his target.

The Hessian jumps off his ride, slices off another head and looks around for more victims. Ichabod takes his chance. He rushes out of his hiding place and aims his gun at the man when he turns around. With a bang, a bullet rips through the chest, making the Hessian stumble back and drops his sword. But he gets back on his feet, much to the man's confusion. The mercenary runs toward him and swings his axe. Ichabod ducks but the second swing strikes him deep across his chest. He gasps in pain when the soldier kicks him away and he readies the next attack. Thinking quickly, the colonist man grabs the sword the Hessian dropped and slices the enemy's head off cleanly. It bounces away from the duo and stops at a rock nearby. The two bodies collapse on the ground as the lives slowly drain out, all the while the fight goes on.

* * *

"Once the battle was over, Ichabod was buried in the cemetery of Sleepy Hollow, but the colonist dumped the dead Hessian soldier into an unknown lake, never to be seen again," said the storyteller in the town library. In front of him is a small group of children listening intently. They wait, feeling like there's more to the story. True enough, the storyteller starts again, "Now legend goes that there will be a time when the ill-fated Hessian soldier will appear once again. He will rise from the lake and resume his massacre on this world as the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow."

Almost all the children shiver. The storyteller smiles at their frightened looks then claps and says, "Well, what's October like without a little fright, right?"

Everyone instantly agrees and the kids soon leave with their parents. With his shift done, the teller starts packing up when a feminine voice says, "That's an interesting story."

He looks up and finds a raven-haired girl leaning against a bookshelf, an open book in her hand. She flips a page, seemingly reading a passage but she's really focused on the storyteller. Her attire consists of a plain dark blue shirt with a small black jacket, tight jeans, and knee-high boots. On her nose that runs across her cheek is a faint scar she got from a rather violent investigation. The narrator smirks and turns back to his stuff. "Well, well. Miss Danielle Fenton. The Paranormal Detective and Investigator. What brings you here?"

"A girl can't read on her spare time?" she remarks, moving her ocean blue eyes away from the volume.

"I thought you'd be on one of your fun investigations."

"It's not all glamorous." She taps on her scar.

The teller rolls his eyes. He returns to his packing and states, "You know; you've grown quite a reputation. The Spirit Cop. Halloween Hunter. Miss Psychic Hoax. Oh, and let's not forget about this one. The Ghost Girl."

"That one's my favorite," she mutters with a smile, placing the book back in its rightful place. "So what do you think of me?"

"I don't know. I've never seen you in action. And I never had an experience with the paranormal, so I don't know if you're just tricking everyone, or if you can really see ghosts."

Leaning on the shelf again, the investigator says, "I do work alone and during the night, so not everyone will believe. I knew that since I started my work."

The narrator smiles and finishes packing. He was about to head out when Danielle asks him, "Where did you hear that story from?"

Turning back around, he finds the detective staring at him with a slight yearning, which confuses him slightly. He's had other people ask but they're out of curiosity. But the man answers, "The story has been passed down my family for generations, ever since the very battle in the Revolutionary War. Each word I say is true."

"Are you sure they're true?"

"You disbelieve the tale?" he asks, feeling insulted.

"I don't disbelieve it. But I don't think it's actually real."

The teller nods while locking his briefcase and says, "Suit yourself. But word to the wise, keep an open mind. You know what they say: truth is stranger than fiction." And with that said, he leaves the library.

Danielle ponders a little bit on his words then decides to try and decipher them later. Right now, she's hungry and there's a Denny's down the street.

* * *

**I hoped you like the starter. This idea came to me when I watched the trailer of this story's namesake and the legend really intrigued me. Anyway, review your thoughts about this chapter please. Oh, and I'll be introducing a special guest in the next chapter. So stick around.**


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